Steamboat briefs: Tread of Pioneers closed some days for holiday

The Tread of Pioneers Museum will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Jan. 1. The museum’s regular hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

8,900 visitors expected to be in Steamboat on Saturday

About 8,900 visitors are expected to be in town Saturday, according to the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association’s lodging barometer.

The figure represents 54 percent capacity at area lodging properties, with downtown lodging at 100 percent. On the mountain, hotels are forecast at 70 percent capacity and condos are expected to be 40 percent full.

Lodging is expected to rise to 9,700 on Christmas Day.

The Chamber’s lodging barometer is based on survey data from local lodging properties. Its primary function is to help businesses determine staffing levels during the winter and summer tourism seasons. Actual lodging occupancy levels tend to increase from the forecast levels as a result of last-minute bookings.

Teen Council’s Teen of the Month is Kelly Borgerding

Courtesy photo

Kelly Borgerding

Kelly Borgerding, a senior at Steamboat Springs High School, has been named Teen of the Month for December by the Steamboat Springs Teen Council, according to a news release.

Borgerding was selected for the honor because she embodies the Teen Council values of demonstrating that teens are valuable community assets, acting as a leader and/or a positive role model among peers and being committed to community service.

At the high school, Borgerding is a mentor and tutor for English Language Learners and serves as treasurer of the National Honor Society as well as assistant captain of the girls ice hockey club. In addition, Kelly serves as a member of the Steamboat Springs High School Honor Council, a type of ethics committee that works to uphold the values of academic honesty through hearing and ruling all cases that have violated some sort of school policy. She also is a member of the girls tennis team and the SMART (Students Modeling a Research Topic) team.

In addition to her school involvement, Borgerding has been on several mission trips with the United Methodist Church of Steamboat Springs, including trips to Guatemala and Costa Rica where she assisted in building homes, schools and churches as well as tutoring local children.

Borgerding has her sights set on seeing the world when she graduates in 2014. She will start by participating in a yearlong exchange program in Argentina through Rotary. And in 10 years, Kelly hopes to travel to half of the continents and be fluent in at least three languages with plans to enter the medical field and one day open a medical clinic in a developing county.

The busy senior is described by her peers as sophisticated, determined and compassionate. Her favorite thing to do in Steamboat is to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, hiking in the fall and swimming in the river during the summer.

When asked why the community should value teens, Borgerding said, “Youth have so much potential and vitality. They do not merely have original ideas but have the desire and drive to actively make change happen as well.”

The Teen Council, in its seventh consecutive year, works to increase positive leadership development, involve teens in the community at large and provide substance-free and alternative activities for youth. The program is sponsored by the city of Steamboat Springs and Grand Futures Prevention Coalition and is funded through a grant from Routt County United Way.

The Steamboat Pilot & Today office at 1901 Curve Plaza will close at noon Christmas Eve and will be closed all day Christmas.

Drop off electronics to be recycled at 4 locations

The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and partners are now offering four drop-off locations in Steamboat Springs for the public to safely and responsibly recycle used small personal electronics for free. An expanded list of items, ranging from laptops and smaller, now can be taken to the YVSC office at 141 Ninth St.

Accepted electronics include: old cellphones, smartphones, cellphone batteries and chargers, iPods, MP3 players, digital cameras, tablets, aircards and bluetooth, ink and toner cartridges, laptops, GPS devices and headphones. Additional drop-off locations for all these items include the Steamboat Springs middle and high school front offices when school is in session.

All of the smaller items, aside from tablets and laptops, also may be deposited in the existing cellphone collection box in the Wells Fargo Bank lobby in downtown Steamboat. In addition to providing a service to the community, the collections help to fund the YVSC Sustainable Schools program. For more information, email info@yvsc.org.